


beach daze

by amadeusofnohr



Category: Fire Emblem Heroes, Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones
Genre: (all knowledge of which comes from haikyuu), Askr, Beach Volleyball, F/F, FERareExchange, Fluff, beach date, possible oocness to accomodate beach shenanigans
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-03
Updated: 2021-01-03
Packaged: 2021-03-13 08:34:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,606
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28525551
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amadeusofnohr/pseuds/amadeusofnohr
Summary: The Order of Heroes takes a day off to spend time at the beach, and Vanessa uses the opportunity to attempt a day of relaxation with Lute.
Relationships: Lute/Vanessa
Comments: 4
Kudos: 6





	beach daze

**Author's Note:**

  * For [green_piggy](https://archiveofourown.org/users/green_piggy/gifts).



> a belated holiday exchange gift for green_piggy!! Summer Lute was mentioned and I went a little off the rails with a completely seasonally inappropriate date. I hope you had happy holidays and are having a decent start to 2021!!

Vanessa tugged awkwardly at her swimsuit, adjusting the board shorts and cropped top one last time. For all of the wars Askr found itself dragged into, the Order of Heroes also found themselves dragged into all sorts of festivals and environments. This time they were to spend the day on the beach, something Vanessa hadn’t done in a long time.

The air was rather toasty, with the occasional breeze bringing with it the heavy scent of salt. Other Heroes had already gone ahead and jumped right into the ocean, while some of the younger ones were engaged in intense sandcastle-building competitions. Prince Ephraim and Prince Chrom stood out among the shorter children, glaring at each other as they worked. Other Heroes were busy dragging out some sort of net. Much of this was vaguely familiar to Vanessa, though much was also rather alien.

The beaches of Frelia were far colder than this one, where taking a dip was done only for the sake of hazing new soldiers, and nets weren’t a part of the equation at all. She was confident in her ability to successfully survive a swim if she dared venture out, but it was probably wiser to begin the experience with her feet planted on land. Er, sand.

Luckily, someone she knew quite well was nearby. There was a splodge of purple crouched amongst the rocks of the shoreline. Vanessa picked her way carefully to her side, familiar enough with wet rocks to make the journey with ease.

“What have you found, Lute?”

Said woman was peering intently into a pool of water trapped between the rocks, her braids dangling just above the surface. She looked up at Vanessa and blinked.

“A tide pool. The creatures within it are most fascinating. I read up on them before this trip.” Lute fished a hand into the pool, poking gently at a star-shaped, scaly looking animal that was stuck firmly to an algae-ridden edge. “Starfish are said to be able to regenerate to extreme amounts, even regrowing limbs that are torn from them.”

Vanessa crouched down beside her, humming thoughtfully. “Tenacious little things, huh. Though I suppose they must be to live somewhere like this.” Lute looked dangerously close to actually prodding the thing, but she withdrew her hand after a moment’s pause.

“A tidepool is a very unique ecosystem. Much like we specialize in our skills in order to survive, so do they. Perfecting such skills despite hardship is what sets us apart.”

“Or perfecting  _ multiple _ skills. I never thought I’d see the day you successfully rode a pegasus,” Vanessa teased. The point of today was to enjoy a place without the kinds of hardships war brought on a daily basis. Even that starfish deserved a day with less worries. It was something Vanessa needed to work on, too, and so she’d put in that effort to think about other things.

Lute crossed her arms instinctively; argumentative stance. “Admittedly, it took a fair amount of… work.” Vanessa had personally seen the amount of times Lute had been bucked off, and the amount of time spent not just reading up, but on concocting the perfect horse treats to use as bribes. It had been a multi-faceted endeavor. “Your work ethic was an admirable model for that sort of thing.”

Vanessa felt her cheeks tinge in embarrassment, and before she could muster an appropriately calm reply Lute was pressing a hand to her face. “Did you remember to prepare for increased exposure to the sun? I acquired an herbal salve in advance if you need to borrow it.”

“Ah, I brought an umbrella!” Vanessa hurried out, because she wasn’t a complete buffoon. She pointed to the orange and white striped umbrella propped in the sand, complete with a towel laid out beneath it. And then a sudden vision struck her, of  _ her _ laid out on that towel on her stomach, Lute kneeled above her, slathering the salve across her back.

The thought must’ve appeared in Lute’s head at the same time. She jerked her hand back and wiped it against her bare thigh.

“Perhaps I can hand it over and go check on Oberon while you apply it.”

“Pegasus can be rather sensitive to heat. They’re much more built to deal with the chill of the sky.” Vanessa agreed weakly. “We can meet back up on the beach?”

* * *

While Lute was making herself busy, Vanessa edged towards the water. Objectively, she had been instructed on how to swim, in case of some sort of emergency that required it. Also objectively, was the fact that it was impossible to see through the water to properly assess her surroundings. Any kind of dangerous fish could be lurking right under foot, Vanessa none the wiser. 

A wave drew dangerously close, lapping right at her feet. She hesitated, but as the next wave came, she took a bold step forward. The foam lapped over her ankles, rushing forward and then receding, dragging sand back into the depths with it. It was cool to the touch, but the sensation of the sand being tugged away sent a chill down her spine. She was used to being in the sky, where there was no ground, but up there was Titania to keep her grounded.

She stepped back and turned around, scanning the beach for something else to do. It wasn’t a requirement to swim at the beach. There were plenty of other ways to have fun. In fact, as she was watching, the purpose of the net was finally revealed. Groups of Heroes were batting around a red, blue, and white ball in what appeared to be some kind of extreme sport.

Lute was making her reappearance, so Vanessa approached her and placed a hand on her shoulder. “Lute, I would like to try out whatever that is.” Lute peered over Vanessa’s shoulder at the set-up. 

“It can’t be too complex if they made arrangements for it so quickly. I’m confident in my ability to win.”

“I don’t know if it’s actually a competition.But, if it is one... You have a point. It’d be  _ fun _ to win.” Syrene was always getting on Vanessa to relax, so relax and ignore her troubles she would, by casually beating her comrades into the dust.

“Gather all, gather all! The Order of Heroes will now be having their official annual beach volleyball contest!” Commander Anna was shouting to a growing number of intrigued Heroes. 

“ _ Annual? _ I’ve never even heard of this before,” someone nearby muttered.

“For a small fee, enter with a partner for the chance to win big!”

There was a collective groan. Most of the Heroes were more than familiar with Commander Anna’s money-making schemes. Of course, many more were excitable enough, gullible enough, or just plain bullheaded enough to participate anyways. Which was how Vanessa found herself forking over the fee for herself and Lute.

“There’ll be a round of demonstration matches first, have no fear! Any unfamiliar with this vaunted sport shall soon learn. A heroic sport, a noble sport, one that takes a mixture of athleticism, skill, teamwork, strategy!”

Vanessa found herself tuning out the more flavorful words from the Commander’s speech, instead focusing on the so-called “demonstration matches.” It was Princess Shareena and Prince Alfonse against Kiran and Princess Fjorm. Why any of them knew what this was already was anyone’s guess.

The game seemed simple enough. Keep the ball off the ground on your side of the net. Get it to the ground on the enemy’s side of the net. Vanessa found her eyes drifting towards Lute, and their eyes met.

“I’ll excel at this,” Lute promised, and Vanessa smiled. As if she’d say anything else.

* * *

Their first match had them against Princess Corrin and Princess Elise. A formidable duo when it came to fighting, but unknowns when it came to this beach volleyball.

Princess Corrin won the right to a serve in a fierce best of two match of rock-paper-scissors, and so the game began. The ball arced through the air, far slower than the kinds of projectiles Vanessa needed to be able to detect on a regular basis. Unfortunately, it seemed that Lute had the same keen vision in this case.

“Watch out!” 

The cry coming a moment too late, Vanessa’s shoulder slammed into Lute’s, and down they went, no purchase to be found on the loose sand. The ball thumped to the ground beside them.

“Yahoo, sis! We’re the best team EVER!” Elise was cheering from the other side of the net.

Vanessa pushed herself to her feet, offering Lute a hand up. Their gazes met again, Lute’s eyes blazing. Vanessa nodded. That was merely a fluke.

This time as the ball was served, the two gravitated to different positions behind the net. It floated over once more, a weak serve prime for the taking.

“Leave this to me!” Lute reached up, hands forming a triangle as her thumbs and pointer fingers met. Ball met hand, and it expertly changed trajectories. Vanessa lunged forward and  _ jumped _ , smacking the ball down at just the right angle. Princess Elise stumbled forward in slow motion, eyebrows furrowed, but she was. Too. Late.

The ball bounced onto the ground, a bit lightly and anticlimactically due to its air-filled nature, but a point was a point. Vanessa couldn’t stop the grin on her face. Inexperienced as their foes were, so were they, so it wasn’t as if it was an unimpressive achievement.

After that rhythm was established, it was hard for the two princesses to catch up. In the end, Vanessa and Lute walked off the court victorious, while Princess Corrin consoled her little sister with the promise of buying her ice cream later.

The next few rounds were good for garnering more experience, as Vanessa tried her hand at blocking. Lute was a bit short to manage it as effectively, much to her chagrin. They were able to defeat even the likes of Robin and Frederick.

The next match-up was a more surprising one. Shirtless and looking grumpy about it was Helbindi, his arms crossed. Beside him was Ylgr. Was it ethical to defeat a child at a game like this?

“Don’t take it easy just ‘cuz she’s young. I want a real challenge. I promised we’d win, and I meant it, but I ain’t takin’ the easy way out.” the man warned, tone serious.

Vanessa understood. “It would be dishonorable to look down on the two of you.” Lute seemed more confused and disgruntled than anything, but Vanessa understood. As a younger sibling with an older sister, there was a desire to live up to her with your own power. Not for her to take it easy on you.

Vanessa was first to serve, and she wanted to start this right. Her eyes darted across the sand, looking for the weak points. Clearly, it was Ylgr’s lack of coverage. Her legs and arms were both too short for adequate defense. 

Princess Shareena blew the referee’s whistle, and Vanessa tossed the ball into the air, arm drawn back. As she did, Helbindi immediately moved, scooping up Ylgr and placing her on his shoulders. Hand hitting the ball right after, and it went soaring for the area behind where Yglr had been. With her now increased height, the girl giggled and leaned back as Helbindi held her legs in place, arms raised in a block.

They shifted afterwards, her clutching tufts of his hair while he received the ball and sent it back into the air, and then she was spiking it. Too dumbfounded to react, the enemies won their first points.

“It’s an unusual tactic, but one with plenty of exploitable weaknesses.” Lute muttered, deep in thought. It was true. Their strategy hinged on Helbindi’s reaction times and on their combined reach. It was intimidating, but there were ways to fight back.

It was their most brutal match yet. For every point they won, they lost points in return. True anger was hard to come by when your opponent was a little girl gleefully being carried around, but there was the burning edge of the drive to succeed ever-present.

In the end, it came down to the grueling set point. Helbindi was serving, something that gave them a slight advantage. Vanessa’s muscles were tense, her body poised for action. She could feel her blood pumping in her ears, not unlike after a particularly challenging flight.

The ball headed towards Lute’s half of the court, Helbindi having honed in on Lute’s more mage-like constitution. However, they were ready. Vanessa pushed off of the sand, feet now knowing how to do so without slipping. Her and Lute swapped sides in an instant, Vanessa’s arms already in position to receive. She passed the ball off before she even stopped moving, immediately bracing herself and changing her momentum forward, ready to spike.

Helbindi narrowed his eyes and shifted as he swung Ylgr onto his shoulders, following Vanessa’s movements. He should’ve kept his eyes on the ball. Hands in the setting position, Lute shifted at the last moment, instead bumping the ball right over the net. They’d done it. Except.

Except. Ylgr threw herself off of Helbindi’s shoulders. She skidded across the sand, kicking up a cloud of particles along the way. It was impossible to see what was happening. And then at last the gentle sound of the ball touching down and rolling along was heard. But. It came from the wrong side of the court. Vanessa’s stomach dropped.

“I did it!” Shouted Ylgr from the ground, just as Shareena blew her whistle. “Match point! Helbindi and Ylgr just barely squeak out the win in a wonderful match!”

Vanessa and Lute could do nothing but stare hopelessly at each other before gathering themselves to shake hands with the winners.

* * *

“Well, I think I’m ready to just flop down now,” Vanessa commented, stretching out a sore arm.

“I believe out arms will soon be swollen, on top of bruised,” Lute observed idly, staring down at her forearms. Vanessa huffed a laugh.

“You’re probably right. But it was a good experience.” Better to be sore and adrenaline-rushed from something like this than from a battle.

Lute nodded. “Next year, we will have our revenge.”

Vanessa agreed solemnly. “Let’s shake on it, then. To fight together again next year, too.” She held out a hand. Lute hesitated, eyes flickering up, reading Vanessa’s meaning.

“Next year, too.” She echoed, reaching out and shaking it. Instead of letting go, Lute firmly wrapped her hand around Vanessa’s and tugged it down to settle between them.

“We should try some of Commander Anna’s concessions,” Vanessa suggested. “It’s important to eat after a workout.”

The Commander had set up all sorts of refreshing beverages and food items, including the ice cream Elise had been promised, for the spectators of the matches, and for any sad losers to console themselves with.

“And after that, you should tell me more about ocean creatures. I bet you read up on more than just tidepools.”

Lute’s eyes lit up. “Of course. It would be pertinent to mention how potent the venom of certain jellyfish is. It’s its own form of magical defense, in a way.”

It wasn’t necessarily the sort of talk that would make Vanessa excited to get in the water next time, but the enemy you know was always less intimidating than an unfamiliar one. And if Lute agreed to go in first, then the possibility was always there. In any case, there was no rush to get in. They hadn’t even tried their hands at sandcastles this year. There would be more time.


End file.
